They've Only Just Begun
by Polly-Nightwings
Summary: A new edited version of chapter one. Chapters 2 and 3 are coming up soon!
1. Soul Capture

PGNW: Hi! I'm PolgaraNightwings! Dozo, dozo! Please read this fanfic and don't forget to review later.  
  
Oh, and this is a Meiling & MVOC (My Very Own Creation) / Sakura & Syaoran fic  
  
Curtains open  
  
3...2...1...  
  
Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs only to Clamp!  
  
Presenting...  
  
Soul capture  
  
' Syaoran...' A rather lanky girl whispered affectionately, tracing a finger longingly against a close-up picture of a boy with a mass of untidy sandy- coloured hair that enhanced his roguish charm all the more.  
  
She was sprawled lazily over her bed, gazing dreamily into the photograph that she held possessively in one hand.  
  
' Syaoran...' she sighed, rather loudly this time.  
  
' Yes, Meiling?' A deep and gentle voice called from the doorway of her room.  
  
Meiling's eyes widened in horror and she let loose a cry. She sat up sharply in bed and hurriedly stuffed the photograph under her pillow. She then quickly turned to face her cousin, who stood by the doorway, a slight flush creeping up her cheeks.  
  
Her gaze fell upon a teenage boy, who was of medium built, and whose hair was in its usual untidy, sandy mess that suited his look perfectly. Her eyes travelled from his large, cinnamon, expressive eyes, down his straight nose and across soft, pink lips, and settled on the firmly muscled body, achieved by his daily practice of swordplay and martial arts.  
  
The shade of pink on her cheeks deepened into a crimson red.  
  
' Meiling?' he tried again, sounding puzzled.  
  
Meiling was jerked out of her reverie, and waved her hands in front of her vigorously.  
  
' Oh...erm...nothing's the matter...' she faltered, her heart pounding furiously, then added brightly as an idea struck her, ' Just wanted to know what time we will be meeting Sakura and Tomoyo tomorrow!'  
  
Syaoran, who was still unconvinced, looked at his cousin sceptically, who was grinning innocently back at him. She looked too flustered and uneasy. Still, he answered her question.  
  
' It's noon at the Carnival, remember?' he reminded, looking at her critically to guess what had uprooted her so.  
  
' Oh! I remember now! Arigato!' she exclaimed loudly, in a highly exaggerated cheerful voice.  
  
Syaoran raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything.  
  
' Syaoran-sama!'  
  
' Oh! Wei's calling you! You had better go!' Meiling said hurriedly, jumping at the chance to free herself from the penetrating gaze of her cousin.  
  
Syaoran paused and looked appraisingly at Meiling for a second, before turning to answer Wei's call.  
  
Meiling heaved a big sigh of relief, as she heard Syaoran's footsteps die away.  
  
The brunette placed a hand under the pillow and pulled out the photograph of Syaoran. She began to smoothen out the creased photograph almost absently, as she stared transfixed at Syaoran's picture. Another sigh left her lips—Though it was out of sorrow this time, not relief.  
  
' I love...'She began, her heart pounding fiercely.  
  
She stopped abruptly, and shook her head vigorously.  
  
'I mustn't have thoughts like these anymore', she scolded, pounding a fist angrily on her knee, ' Syaoran and Sakura are already a couple...they belong together.  
  
Yet another part of her wished that Syaoran had never come to Japan. Syaoran would have never met Sakura and he would have been hers...  
  
No, decided Meiling firmly, I want the best for Syaoran. He is my best friend, my dearest cousin, and much, much more to me.  
  
And, she added as an afterthought, Syaoran had never felt that way about her anyway.  
  
With that thought clasped firmly in her mind, she snuggled up in her bed, determined to only think of Syaoran as her cousin.  
  
She looked out of the window, squinting under glare of the sun. The rays of light brought warmth to her skin that felt comforting somehow.  
  
She began to feel limp and drowsy, and her eyelids drooped.  
  
A sudden rush of cool wind brushed lightly against her face, gently lulling her to sleep.  
  
Cold sliced into her flesh. She writhed beneath the blows of heavy cold. Cold . . .  
  
'Huh?' Meiling muttered sleepily, sitting up groggily to push away her blanket that wasn't there...?  
  
Surprised, Meiling looked about her, only to discover that she was not in her bed, but in a middle of a snowstorm.  
  
Her lips parted in surprise. Hadn't she been in bed just now? The last she remembered was drifting off to sleep in her warm bed, and not sprawled over cold, soft snow that seemed to stretch endlessly across the land. The sky was dull, threatening and highly intimidating and malicious bitter-cold winds blew viciously down her exposed neck.  
  
'Am I dreaming?' She asked herself softly, looking about her in wonder. She pinched herself—hard.  
  
' Ouch!' She cried, rubbing furiously at her bruised arm.  
  
She stopped suddenly, as if she a thought had just occurred to her.  
  
' I'm not asleep...' She whispered, her voice holding traces of disbelief and fear.  
  
Where on earth was she then? She was definitely not in Japan anyhow. Why, it was the summer holidays in Japan, and not winter! However did she come here in the first place?  
  
A particularly cold blast of wind stung her cheeks, and she hugged herself tightly. She looked down despairingly at the T-shirt and skirt she was wearing. It was cold.  
  
She felt overwhelmed with fear.  
  
' Syaoran!' she whispered desperately, as she always did when she was in trouble.  
  
Usually, her cousin would always be there to save her, but now she was alone, and Syaoran was too far away to help her...  
  
Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she shook her head angrily in an attempt to force back her tears and clear her mind.  
  
' I have to learn to depend on myself, and not just on Syaoran!' she chided herself, and added with a catch in her voice, ' He isn't wholly mine anymore.'  
  
She rose unsteadily to her feet and brushed off the snow that clung to her, shivering uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around her, and trudged through the snow, with the bitter-cold wind blowing harshly against her violently trembling body.  
  
' Is this magic?' She asked herself, gasping as she felt the full force of the cold howling wind strike at her vulnerable body.  
  
She took a step forward gingerly, her bare foot sinking into the deep snow. Tears filled her eyes as she felt her feet burn, but she just gritted her teeth and continued to put a foot forward, not caring where she was heading for or if she was just walking in circles. Death was inevitable, but she was not about to give up without putting up a fierce fight.  
  
Another step forward. Another. Anothe—  
  
She stopped in her tracks and toppled slowly to the ground in exhaustion.  
  
' No...' Meiling gasped weakly, attempting to stand back up again.  
  
But she could not continue anymore, she did not have the energy, or the will power. It was useless.  
  
She sighed sadly, her breath misty vapour in the frosty air. She thought back of all the people that she would miss the most and one image appeared solidly in her mind. If she was going to die, she might as well die looking into the face of the most beloved person in her life.  
  
She smiled wanly as she thought of his delightfully messy hair, his soft gentle expression whenever he looked at her, his comforting touch...  
  
A tear rolled down her cheek, bringing blessed warmth to the areas of skin it coursed its way across.  
  
' Goodbye...Syaoran...'  
  
A tall figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows. He wore a hooded ebony cloak that exposed very little of his face. The cloak billowed and flapped behind him furiously, as if fighting a war against the raging winds. He stopped in front of a pale-skinned girl, lying motionless in the snow.  
  
Kneeling down beside the unconscious girl, he touched her face softly. His lips tightened suddenly, into what seemed like a frown. He pulled his fingers back and paused for a while.  
  
Finally, he pushed back his hood, letting long, snowy curls tumble out and cascade down his slender but firm shoulders. He proceeded to remove his cloak, and draped it over the girl, wrapping her around with it.  
  
He then took her wordlessly into his arms, and began to walk away carrying the limp girl and disappearing back into the darkness.  
  
Syaoran frowned.  
  
Meiling had been behaving most strangely just now. Ever since he had declared to Meiling about his love for Sakura, they had drifted apart. And now, Syaoran almost never knew what went on in Meiling's mind. He wondered whether Meiling was still resentful about him loving Sakura. He never intended to hurt her...  
  
Syaoran made up his mind to confront her there and then, to ask of her true opinion regarding that matter, and hoping to clarify whatever misunderstandings they had.  
  
He walked resolutely to her room.  
  
He stopped abruptly upon reaching the doorway of her room, taking in a deep breath. If he could only just summon the courage...  
  
' Meiling, I need to speak to you.' He burst out loudly, walking briskly into the room.  
  
Then, he saw her, lying on her bed, in deep slumber.  
  
Syaoran sighed, feeling disappointed, but relieved. He walked slowly to her, pulling the blanket over her, covering her up to her chin.  
  
Suddenly, Syaoran froze, his eyes widened and his pupils dilated.  
  
' Meiling!' he cried, taking her by the shoulders, and shaking her roughly.  
  
But it was to no avail. She did not wake.  
  
' Oi! Meiling wake up!' Syaoran urged frantically, as he shook her again.  
  
He stopped. He knew that his attempts would prove futile. She was still physically present, but her mind and soul were beyond his reach...  
  
' Meiling.' He whispered, anguished.  
  
He hovered his hand, which was glowing red with magic, above her chest, trying to detect or abolish the source of the magic that had been cast upon Meiling. An invisible force repelled his magic, however, and he was thrown back roughly, causing his back to collide heavily with the wall.  
  
Swearing, he rose up slowly and looked at Meiling with fresh uncertainty and worry.  
  
Whatever should I do?  
  
This thought raced through Syaoran's mind aimlessly as he gaped at her lifeless form, giddy with anger, shock and worry.  
  
Then, a single thought flitted through his mind.  
  
' Sakura!' He exclaimed.  
  
He hurriedly snatched Meiling's phone by her table, and dialled Sakura's number.  
  
'Hello! This is Sakura speaking! ' A cheery, girlish voice said over the other end.  
  
' Sakura! This is Syaoran! Come over to Wei's and bring your Sakura cards! Hurry!' Syaoran said urgently.  
  
' Oh. Ok.' Sakura said, confused.  
  
Syaoran hung up, and took Meiling's hand in his.  
  
' You're going to be alright, Meiling. Sakura's coming.' He whispered intensely, gazing darkly at her lifeless body.  
  
' You're going to be just fine.'  
  
Author's note:  
  
Konnichiwa! Well, how did you find it? Please do not mind any grammatical errors so much. Alright then, please (now) press the review button...yes, yes...the one at that little box over there...yes, now click on it...click, you dolt...aah, good...now, where was I? Oh, yes. Review for me please, and tell me your opinions on this fic, and, do NOT forget to catch the next chapter of this fic, entitled: Po Hu. Ja Ne! See you again! 


	2. Po Hu

Greetings! This is the following chapter to 'They've only just begun', so please enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs only to CLAMP *pouts*  
  
PO HU  
  
' Syaoran...' muttered Meilin, her eyelids fluttering.  
  
It had been such an awkward dream. She had been wandering around aimlessly in the middle of a rather weak yet frightening snowstorm, and had collapsed to the ground, awaiting death. Then a tall, white-haired figure had wrapped his cloak around her, and carried her away into the darkness of the raging storm, with the fierce wind howling forcefully at both of them.  
  
What had the dream meant?  
  
' Wait till Syaoran hears about this...' Meilin sighed, finally opening her eyes.  
  
She gave a strangled cry.  
  
' So it wasn't a dream...' She thought, her entire body trembling as she braved a look around her surroundings.  
  
Huge crystal icicles hung from the ceiling that was yet again made up of ice crystals. The floor was too entirely formed out of ice, which sparkled dazzlingly, mesmerising Meilin. In fact, the entire place was made up of ice, including the bed in which Meilin had been resting on.  
  
Meilin sat up sharply, groaning slightly and wincing as she rubbed her back gently. A bed made up of solid ice didn't exactly create the most comfortable bed afterall.  
  
She looked about the cave of ice, and realised that it wasn't actually that cold in there, considering that the place was made up of sparkling, hard ice.  
  
Suddenly, there was the sound of light footsteps echoed through the cave.  
  
Meilin gave a gasp, swiftly turning her head to see who was approaching.  
  
' I see that you are awake.' A soft voice remarked, as a tall figure stepped out of the shadows and walked towards her.  
  
' Who are you?' Meilin asked warily, pushing herself back, in a weak attempt to distance herself away from the approaching figure.  
  
The figure stopped in front of Meilin, and looked down upon her quailing figure menacingly.  
  
Meilin looked up at the tall figure.  
  
Long white curls fell carelessly down his back, and seemed to elude a white aura. His pale blue-green tinged eyes gazed down coldly at her over his long straight nose, and his thin lips were curved into a tight frown. His face marked him to be several years older than her, and even more frightening. He was garbed in pale blue and white robes, and wore bands of green around his wrists and neck. He also wore soft black boots, which matched the belt that was carefully tied around his waist.  
  
As Meilin looked up at him, she began to fully appreciate his height, as he seemed to tower over her with his slimly muscular frame.  
  
' I am Po Hu.' He replied softly, his lips barely moving.  
  
He looked distinctly familiar. Where had she seen that white hair?  
  
But of course! The cloak!  
  
She looked at her feet, where the cloak lay all forgotten, when she had roughly pushed it away as she had sat up in her bed of ice.  
  
' I remember now! You saved me from that blizzard!' Meilin exclaimed, her eyes widening in recognition.  
  
Po Hu smiled coldly at her, before throwing his head back, laughing maliciously.  
  
' Believe me, I would not have saved you had I the choice. I was merely acting on command.' He growled, glaring at her once again, his insanical laughter still echoing distinctly in the halls of the ice cave.  
  
Meilin bit her lower lip, as she leaned back cautiously at his sudden outburst, unsure of how to react.  
  
' What am I doing here?' she asked timidly, avoiding the hard gaze of Po Hu.  
  
' Your spiritual form has been teleported magically here, whereas your physical form remains back where you live.' He answered in a neutral tone.  
  
' But why?' burst out Meilin, her confusion betraying her fears, ' Why have I been brought here? Who brought me here? I want to know!'  
  
' You are in no position to demand anything!' spat Po Hu, raising a hand, threatening to strike her.  
  
But Meilin remained firm, though her face had paled by several shades.  
  
' I want to know!' She repeated stubbornly, her voice wavering slightly.  
  
' You asked for it!' He snarled, and he began gathering in his magic to direct a blow at her adamant figure.  
  
' Stop, Po Hu!' a firm voice rang, from one of the corridors to the ice covered hall.  
  
Both Meilin and Po Hu turned their heads to look at the person standing in the shadows behind them.  
  
A soft and religious hush suddenly fell across the ice cave, as the both of them looked upon the approaching figure with awe.  
  
Po Hu instantly dropped to the floor on his knees respectfully; prostrating himself to the tall and impressive looking man whom stepped up to Po Hu.  
  
' You should never raise your hand against a girl, Po Hu.' He chided gently in a smooth voice.  
  
' I'm sorry, Master!' Po Hu choked, biting his lip.  
  
' Rise, Po Hu.' He said kindly, gesturing for his disciple to stand.  
  
With his head still bowed, Po Hu rose to his feet slowly, his troubled eyes averted from his Master.  
  
' Who are you?' Meilin asked for the second time that day as she looked at the tall ageless looking man dressed entirely in white robes, who had stopped in front of her.  
  
' I am Jiang Long, Guardian of Water.' He answered with a smile.  
  
' Then...do you have any idea what I am doing here?' Meilin asked hesitantly, though she was burning for answers inside.  
  
' What my disciple here-,' Master Jiang Long paused, smiling at Po Hu who looked away bashfully, ' told you previously, was true. Your physical presence remains in your world, but your spiritual being is now in our world...or dimension, whatever you wish.'  
  
' But why?' Meilin asked again.  
  
' You know of the Clow cards, am I right?' Master Jiang Long asked.  
  
Meilin nodded her head vigorously.  
  
' Yeah! That's why Syaoran and I came to Japan in the first place-to capture and reseal the Clow cards.' She rushed.  
  
' Then you should know that the Clow Cards have already been changed to Sakura cards, do you not?' Master Jiang Long asked again.  
  
' Of course I know, I've even seen those cards. But what has this got to do with me being sent here?' Meilin asked impatiently.  
  
' Patience, child.' Master Jiang Long soothed, smiling rather reproachfully at her.  
  
' Sorry.' Meilin apologised meekly, realising how rude she had been.  
  
Master Jiang Long brushed away her apology with a wave of his hand and continued,  
  
' This world which you are in, is the world in which magic originated.'  
  
' Then how come Syaoran, Sakura and the others also have magic?' Meilin interrupted.  
  
' Magic is spilt into two main groups, Yin and Yang. There are also four elements in Magic. The power of Fire, Metal, Water and Earth. The powers of Fire and Metal are under the Yang energy, which is the magical energy we draw from the Sun. The powers of Water and Earth are under the Yin energy, which is the magical energy we draw from the Moon.'  
  
' In our world, we wholly depend on magic to survive. The turn of the tides, the change of the seasons, and the blossom of life. Such is our life.'  
  
' However, several centuries ago, several of our people whom had grown tired of this life escaped into your world. Time flew, and soon, our magic was spread far out into your world, thus creating an unexpected link between both our worlds-a sort of friction, I should say. Therefore, every time magic was used in your world, it would in turn affect us. It did not affect us greatly though, for little magic existed in your world.'  
  
' Then one day, a man named Clow Reed came to pass, and he created the Clow cards. The magic used was profound, and he drawed magic deeply from the Moon and the Sun. Thus limiting our own withdrawal of magic from the Sun and Moon.'  
  
' We decided to overlook this, but generations later, Clow Reed reincarnated himself into Eriol, a boy suffused with all his magic, and Fujitaka, the father of the girl called Sakura.'  
  
' Slowly, Eriol helped Sakura to change the Clow cards to Sakura cards, changing the draw of energy for the cards from the Sun and the Moon to the Star.'  
  
At this point, Master Jiang Long sighed deeply, and Po Hu growled angrily.  
  
' That was stupid of him.' Po Hu muttered viciously, clenching his fists tightly.  
  
' Po Hu.' Master Jiang Long said reproachfully, to which Po Hu turned his head away defiantly.  
  
' Anyway, the Clow cards did not affect us so much, as there was at least a balance in the draw of energy, Yin and Yang.'  
  
' But by making the cards Sakura cards, it then totally becomes dependant on the Star energy, which is essentially Yang energy. So the Sakura cards has robbed us of a lot of Yang energy, and this has in turn robbed most of our Fire and Metal powers. Our fires are dying out, and the blizzard you were trapped in is the result of that.'  
  
' The situation is becoming dire. The imbalance in our world is getting greater with each second. Our Fire and Metal powers are slowly ebbing away, and our Fire and Metal Guardians are suffering, together with our people. We must take action!'  
  
Meilin look confusedly at the tall broad shouldered man with long snowy white hair and a short white beard to match.  
  
' So...what do you plan to do?' Meilin asked curiously.  
  
Master Jiang Long sighed unhappily.  
  
' It means that our people will have to destroy the Sakura cards, and destroy whoever is in our way. We have suffered enough already. We have no choice.' He answered, with a hint of reluctance clouding his voice.  
  
Meilin gave a sharp gasp.  
  
' So you people teleported me to this world to...' Meilin began, her eyes widening in horror.  
  
' Yes,' Po Hu sneered, smiling coldly at her, ' You are our prisoner.'  
  
Meilin turned to Master Jiang Long, as if looking for confirmation. But he turned away from her searching gaze, and walked out of the ice cave.  
  
' Po Hu!' he called, stopping.  
  
' Yes, Master!' acknowledged Po Hu immediately, hurrying after his Master's weaning figure.  
  
Meilin jumped to her feet and began running after the two people who had captured her.  
  
' Stop! Take me back!' She screamed, running desperately after them.  
  
Master Jiang Long stopped.  
  
' We will strike a bargain with that girl, Sakura. The Sakura cards in exchange for your soul. In the meantime, you aren't going anywhere.' He said, with a hint of a smile.  
  
Then with a slight wave of a hand, he conjured up a wall of ice that appeared between Meilin, and Po Hu and him. Meilin gave an inaudible yell, as she pounded on her side of ice. Smiling, Master Jiang Long walked on, followed by a smirking Po Hu.  
  
' Let me out!' she cried hoarsely, as she watched the two of them disappear around the corridor of the cave.  
  
' Let me out...' she whispered hopelessly, as she sank to the ice floor, her back pressed against the newly created ice wall.  
  
Tears stung her eyes, as she began pounding at the floor in frustration.  
  
Was she ever going to get out? Or more importantly, whether she was going to get out in time to warn Syaoran and Sakura!  
  
***  
  
So how did you like it? I know that there aren't any scenes with Sakura and the others in this chapter, but you can expect to catch them in a lot of scenes in the next chapter.  
  
I know I used a lot of the Chinese mythology here, and some may also notice that I am none too accurate with it. Don't hit me over the head with it though. This is MY story, and magic will be whatever I choose to call it. Tee hee!  
  
Anyway, remember to catch Chapter 3, okay? And DON'T leave without reviewing! Bye bye! 


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